Going to a party and you offered to bring an appetizer? Are you now panicking because you don’t know what to bring? This recipe involves a little effort and time, but you will look like a bonafide rock star! This is for a flour crust, but you can sub-out with your favorite gluten-free pastry crust if you wish.
Ingredients
- 1/3 butter
- 2 large red or yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 2/3 C feta cheese (optional) – I left it out
- 1 cup (all-purpose) flour
- 4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into cubes
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp chilled water
Preparation
- To make the pastry crust, put the flour, butter (not cubes) and salt into a food processor. Using the pulse button, process until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. While still processing, slowly add the water to the mixture in a steady stream, until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and flatten the dough into a large circle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Put the dough in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes- 1 hr.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the dough on a floured work surface and roll it out to a 1/4″ thickness. Put on parchment paper on a pan. Stab dough pastry bases a few times with a fork. Bake the tart ‘shell’ for about 12 minutes, or until golden, but still soft. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little, then take the pastry cases out of the tin and rest on a wire rack until completely cool.
- To caramelize the onions, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar and salt and saute SLOWLY for about 35-40 minutes, or until the onions are softened and golden brown. Stir frequently so the onions don’t burn. When the onions are soft, set aside to cool.
- Turn the oven back to 350°F. Smother onions across the tart. If still soft, fold edges around the onions.Top with feta cheese if you wish and bake for another 12-14 minutes until delicious looking! Cool and serve, although this goes fast!
If you have fresh basil, shred and top before serving! I also like to drizzle some balsamic reduction sauce on top, but this tartlet is SO tasty that you really don’t need this extra steps!
